Chicago Bulls trade Zach LaVine to Knicks in these favorable deals
By Ryan Heckman
The Chicago Bulls get two young players, plus a first rounder, in this LaVine deal
In this first scenario, the Knicks essentially start by swapping starting shooting guards with the Bulls. New York gives up second-year guard RJ Barrett, the third overall pick out of Duke last year. The Knicks also include third-year forward Kevin Knox in the deal, just so the salary isn’t completely off-base.
New York sends a future first rounder to the Bulls in this deal as well, while they net a second rounder from Chicago along with LaVine.
Barrett gives the Bulls an even younger shooting guard to build their back court around. Barrett is a 6-foot-6 lengthy guard with the potential to develop into a pretty solid perimeter defender, which is something LaVine has not done over his career.
The ability to score is there with Barrett, as he’s averaging a respectable 17.8 points per game this season on 42 percent shooting from the field. He could work on the efficiency a bit, especially from beyond the arc — just 28 percent from long distance this year.
In Knox, the Bulls get a guy who would definitely ramp up their perimeter defense. He’s kind of a 3-and-D specialist, who is shooting 39 percent from beyond the arc this season. He’s a better perimeter defender than anyone included in this deal, which is something Billy Donovan would like. Do the Bulls hang onto Knox long term? That’s debatable. But, Barrett and that first-round pick are the stars of this trade.